REVIEW: Vengeance of Vampirella #18

With the sheer number of different Vampi books out at the moment; a trend not too unlike the number of Batman books from DC; you can forget that the “main’ book has quietly going about its business, giving Vampi fans what they like month after month.

Vampi is in a bit of an existential pickle. It seems that whilst she has been trying to keep the darkness in the world at bay, she has simultaneously been fighting to keep her humanity. However in order to save the day, her actions may well take that which is most important to her in two different ways.

Thomas Sniegoski, a Vampi veteran, takes our favourite vampiric babe on a bit of a journey. Forbidden loves leaves Vampi vulnerable to say the least. The action between Vampi and Adam, is tense; the action between Vampi and Nix is vicious before the almost bestial reproach. With all that in mind, it woiuld be easy to think that there is action and just action. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sniegoski manages to twist every type of emotional knife to draw out every ounce of angst and anger. It’s a clever approach that shows that there is much more to Vampi than thigh high boots and a swimsuit for a costume. It could be said that the dialogue can be a tad expositional, though I guess that can happen when you have a megalomaniac as the villainous!

When it comes to a Vampi comic, there are certain artistic expectations. Classic look, check; long dark hair, check, swimsuit and curves, check and check! Kewber Baal delivers on everything that you would want. The chaos of the action scenes are countered with excellent facial elements and body poses. Strong panel designs, coupled with good choices over the camera angles give the book a pacy feel. There are a few perspective issues that catch the eye, for the wrong reasons, but they are far and few between. Omi Remalante Jr. supplies the colors, delivering a rich deep scheme that gives the book a mature look, a standard of production that may surprise a few people. Letters a provided by Troy Peteri who manages to deal with the big villainous speaches well without letting them detract from the art and the action. Finally, its a Dynamite book so there are a few variants to choose from. For me, cover A wins out, though the cosplay one also works.

Vampi is currently in a rich vein, no pun intended, with a range of books to suit any number of different readers. Very much like cream, this book, under the tutelage of Thomas Sniegoski, rises to the top!

Writing – 4.5 Stats
Art – 4.5 Stars
Colors – 4.5

Overall – 4.5 Stars

Written by; Thomas Sniegoski
Art by; Kewber Baal
Colors by; Omi Remalante Jr.
Letters by; Troy Peteri
Published by; Dynamite Entertainment

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network